March 20, 2006

Free Hao Wu!

Hao Wu (Chinese name: 吴皓),
a Chinese documentary filmmaker who lived in the U.S. between 1992 and
2004, was detained by the Beijing division of China’s State Security
Bureau on the afternoon of Wednesday, Febuary 22, 2006. On that
afternoon, Hao had met in Beijing with a congregation of a Christian
church not recognized by the Chinese government, as part of the filming
of his next documentary.

Hao had also been in phone contact with Gao Zhisheng,
a lawyer specializing in human rights cases. Gao confirmed to one of
Hao’s friends that the two had been in phone contact and planned to
meet on Feb. 22, but that their meeting never took place after Gao
advised against it. On Friday, Feb. 24, Hao’s editing equipment and
several videotapes were removed from the apartment where he had been
staying. Hao has been in touch his family since Feb. 22, but judging
from the tone of the conversations, he wasn’t able to speak freely. One
of Hao’s friends has been interrogated twice since his detention.
Beijing’s Public Security Bureau (the police) has confirmed that Hao
has been detained, but have declined to specify the charges against him.

The reason for Hao’s detention is unknown. One of the possibilities
is that the authorities who detained Hao want to use him and his video
footage to prosecute members of China’s underground Churches.
Hao is an extremely principled individual, who his friends and family
believe will resist such a plan. Therefore, we are very concerned about
his mental and physical well-being.

More about Hao: From Scientist to Computer Guy to Filmmaker.

Hao began his filmmaking career in 2004, when he gave up his job as
a senior product manager at Atlanta-based Earthlink Inc. and returned
to China to film Beijing or Bust,
a collage of interviews with U.S.-born ethnic Chinese who now live in
China’s capital city. Before working for Earthlink, Hao worked as a
product manager for Internet portal Excite from 2000 to 2001 in Redwood
City, CA Before that, Hao had also worked as a strategic planning and
product development director for Merchant Internet Group, an intern for
American Express Co. and a molecular biologist with UCB Research Inc.

Hao earned an MBA degree from University of Michigan Business School
in May 2000 and a Master of Science in molecular and cell biology in
July, 1995 from Brandeis University, where he was awarded a full
merit-based scholarship. Before studying in the U.S., Hao earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the China University of
Science and Technology in Hefei, Anhui province in June, 1992.

Hao the Blogger.

Hao has also been an active blogger, writing as “Beijing Loafer” on his personal blog, Beijing or Bust, named after his film. Due to Chinese government internet blocking of his blog hosting service Blogger.com, he also has a mirror version of the site on MSN Spaces. In early February Hao began contributing as Northeast Asia Editor to Global Voices Online, an international bloggers’ network hosted at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Writing under the pen name Tian Yi,
Hao’s contributions aimed to bring citizens’ online voices from China
and the rest of North East Asia to readers in the English-speaking
world.

Why didn’t we speak out about his detention earlier?

Hao’s family and friends in China have deflected questions about his
detention for the past month, as authorities in contact with people
close to Hao have urged them not to publicize the case. There had been
hope that his detention was only for a short period of time, in which
case publicity would not have been helpful.

For more information…

Hao’s family and friends inside China do not want to be interviewed
directly by the media at this time, and thus we will not provide
journalists with their contact information. This website will be
updated regularly with new information that emerges about Hao’s
situation.

Comments

Let’s for the moment put aside the argument weither China’s laws are right or wrong according to our senstivity. The fact remains their laws exist according to their sensitivity, and they have effects in their land.

Rule of law dictates laws are to be observed - else it’s anarchy. Unjust law should be changed within the existing reality and current states - else pay the price of civil disobidience (or revolution.)

I’m sure by now you are bored of these obvious principles of our proud western tradition, which many neglects while indicting China.

Let’s talk about weither the law that’s involved is just.

The reason churches go underground IMHO isn’t because they are “unauthorized” Catholics or Protestants. The Church I attended in Zhengzhou was a Protestant church.

My understanding of the reason chruches go “underground” is because they refuse to observe China’s law protecting children’s right to religious freedom that bars adults from indoctrinating children until the age of 16 (with flexibility).

Reailty is there ain’t enough GongAn to kick down the doors and arrest every parent that reads the Bible to their kids, or grandmothers who BaiBai the Kitchen God with little MeiMei.

But when pastors encouraged by foreign missionaries to break China’s laws and hold bible school, advertise to the whole village, invite the policeman’s kid to come every sunday for the brainswashing session - what do you think happens?

You are so correct
Mr. B.Fletcher. I've been brain washed to believe the media and our western governments for so long deeming China's goverment and leaders as these evil dictators and that their people are not free nor have the right to religion.

I have a passion for traveling. When I visited china for myself to experience, I was surprised, it was nothing like what I was made to believe in the media and by our US gov't and the european media/gov't. I've gained a real respect for that culture, its people and its gov't. There is freedom of religion in china, but it isn't forced upon them. You have the freedom to believe r not to believe in any religion you so choose, they don't favor one over another.

I've visited jewish temples, muslim mosques, buddist temples, and churches all over mainland china and not once did anyone arrest me,nor locals, nor any foreigners who worshiped in these houses of worship. These places of worship have existed there for thousands of years.

I no longer believe in these lies told to me about china and its gov't, propaganda is spread about them unfairly, its defamation, I'm surprised china's gov't doesn't sue our media and gov't.

Phychologically before I visited and knew the truth, I was a bit prejudice towards the chinese gov't and its people, I felt embarassed to have felt that way for a little after I knew the truth, but now feel empowered that I know what many around the world doesn't know.

I now don't make any assumptions or judgements, no matter who it's being told by, I hold my judgements until I experience and see it first hand.

If someone comes to our country in the U.S. and breaks one or more of our laws, should people of that other country and its gov't pass judgement and accuse things of our system, our process and laws here in the U.S.? Give me a break, if you break a law or commit a crime anywhere in teh world, in any town, city, and/or country, expect the consequences, and yes one of which is being detained/jailed. Duhhh, its not rocket science, think logically, its common sense.